2026 European Cycling Championships: route, schedule and favourites for the races in Ljubljana

Just five days after Montreal closed the World Championship, the international peloton puts on the jerseys of their national teams again. Slovenia will host the 2026 European Road Cycling Championships from October 2 to 7, with Ljubljana and Šenčur as the main venues and a program that will distribute 14 titles among the Junior, Under-23, and Elite categories.

Key Points of the 2026 European Championships

This will be the first time Slovenia organizes the road European Championships, and it will do so with a route that seems tailor-made for some of the best climbers and classics specialists on the continent. The climb to Možjanca, 2.1 km at 10.2% and ramps of up to 15.8%, will be the key point of a final circuit that promises to select the races significantly.

The big news before the championship begins is that Tadej Pogačar will not be at the start. The Slovenian Federation has published its final roster, and the reigning European champion is not on it, meaning he will not be able to defend his title at home. Slovenia has officially confirmed that Pogačar will not race in the 2026 European Championships.

RECOMENDADO

It’s official: Pogačar will not race the European Championships and Roglič will lead Slovenia

Wolf Tooth ALT Performance XC arrive as a more affordable alternative to the ALT

Adidas brings its iconic Freerider to clipless pedals without giving up the Stealth sole

The 2027 XCM World Cup calendar is set: five races and the final once again at La Tramun

Lake Placid rounds off the XCO/XCC World Cup: titles up for grabs and a possible return of 32-inch bikes?

“That won’t happen”: UAE responds to Pogačar and rules out the European Championships

The championship will take place from Friday, October 2 to Wednesday, October 7, with five days of competition and an intermediate day, Monday the 5th, reserved for official time trial training.

The road races will open the program and will be concentrated between Friday and Sunday. Mixed relays will take place on Tuesday, and the six individual time trials will be held on Wednesday. A total of around 800 cyclists from more than 50 countries are expected to participate, according to the organization.

The proximity to the World Championship inevitably affects the selections. The men's Elite race takes place exactly one week after the Montreal World Championship, which, combined with the end-of-season races of commercial teams, has led to significant absences.

A route with two faces and a climb that could decide the European Championship

The men's Elite race will cover 196.3 kilometers and 2,571 meters of positive elevation, starting from the Congress Square in Ljubljana and finishing in Šenčur. The women's race will consist of 130 kilometers and 1,359 meters of elevation. In both events, the route can be clearly divided into two parts.

After a neutralized start through the center of Ljubljana, the peloton will head towards Gorenjska, passing through areas like Škofja Loka, Kranj, Kamnik, Komenda, and Cerklje na Gorenjskem before reaching Šenčur. In the case of the men, the first 85 kilometers will be relatively favorable for a breakaway to form and stabilize the race.

Everything will change upon entering the final circuit of Šenčur, which is 22.1 kilometers long and has 367 meters of elevation per lap.

Its great difficulty will be the climb to Možjanca: 2.1 kilometers at an average gradient of 10.2% and maximums of 15.8%. After reaching the summit, there will still be undulating terrain before a first part of technical descent towards the lower station of the Krvavec cable car, followed by a much faster descent that brings the race back towards the valley.

The men's Elite will complete five laps of the circuit and, therefore, will climb Možjanca five times during the last hundred kilometers approximately. The women's Elite will complete two laps.

Another important detail is that from the top of Možjanca to the finish line, there are approximately 14 kilometers. This distance is sufficient for an attack and to open gaps, but also for regrouping if there is understanding behind. This balance between a very explosive climb and a considerable stretch to the finish could be one of the tactical keys of the races.

Favorites for the men's European Championship

Pogačar's definitive absence significantly changes the landscape of the men's race and leaves Remco Evenepoel as one of the main references. The Belgian arrives directly from Montreal, where he won his fourth consecutive World Championship in the time trial, although he could not replicate that performance in the road race.

Moreover, he has never been the Elite European road champion, and that could be a great incentive for him. He has been a champion twice in the time trial.

Belgium also presents a team built around Evenepoel with riders like Maxim Van Gils, Quinten Hermans, Ilan Van Wilder, and Louis Vervaeke.

Without Pogačar, Primož Roglič becomes one of Slovenia's main references. In addition to finding a route suitable for his characteristics, he will have the factor of competing in front of his home crowd in the first European road championship held in the country.

Italy presents one of the teams with the most alternatives. Giulio Ciccone and Giulio Pellizzari stand out in a squad that also includes Christian Scaroni, Diego Ulissi, and Alessandro Fancellu. Ciccone also comes off finishing ninth in the Montreal World Championship.

France has several options for a race of this profile, including Romain Grégoire, Kévin Vauquelin, Alex Baudin, or Léo Bisiaux.

We should also keep an eye on Mads Pedersen, who finished sixth just a week ago in the Montreal World Championship and is the main reference for a Denmark that also includes Mikkel Honoré and Anthon Charmig. Among the other names to consider are Mathias Vacek, Jan Christen, Marc Hirschi, Toms Skujiņš, Felix Großschartner, and Aleksandr Vlasov.

Spain will have Juan Ayuso as one of its main references for the men's Elite race, accompanied by Iván Romeo, Pau Miquel, Urko Berrade, Cristian Rodríguez, and Joel Nicolau. 

Vollering arrives with the rainbow at the women's European Championship

The women's race will take place on Saturday, October 3, and one cyclist inevitably stands out after what happened just a few days ago in Canada.

Demi Vollering will arrive in Slovenia as the new world champion, after winning in Montreal ahead of Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Elisa Longo Borghini. Additionally, the Netherlands is once again structuring the race around Vollering and has alternatives like Puck Pieterse and Riejanne Markus.

The route will be shorter than the men's, but the two ascents to Možjanca in the final circuit provide enough terrain to break the race before Šenčur.

Spain will participate with Usoa Ostolaza, Alicia González, Sara Martín, Paula Blasi, Mireia Benito, and Mavi García in the women's Elite event.

Schedule of the 2026 European Cycling Championships

Friday, October 2

• 09:00 – Under-23 Women's Road: 88.4 km and 1,616 m+
• 13:30 – Under-23 Men's Road: 141.9 km and 1,698 m+

Saturday, October 3

• 09:00 – Junior Men's Road: 110.5 km and 2,020 m+
• 13:30 – Elite Women's Road: 130 km and 1,359 m+

Sunday, October 4

• 09:00 – Junior Women's Road: 66.3 km and 1,212 m+
• 12:30 – Elite Men's Road: 196.3 km and 2,571 m+

Monday, October 5

• No competition. Official time trial training.

Tuesday, October 6

• 11:00 – Junior Mixed Relay: 44.3 km and 733 m+
• 15:00 – Elite Mixed Relay: 44.3 km and 733 m+

Wednesday, October 7

• 09:30 – Junior Women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 10:30 – Junior Men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 11:45 – Under-23 Women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 12:35 – Under-23 Men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 14:30 – Elite Women's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+
• 16:15 – Elite Men's ITT: 22.1 km and 367 m+

These times correspond to the program published by the Slovenian Cycling Federation.

The time trial will feature Možjanca as the protagonist

The European Championship will completely change format on its final day. All categories will compete in the time trial on the same 22.1-kilometer circuit in Šenčur, with 367 meters of positive elevation.

It will not be a conventional time trial for pure specialists. The course again incorporates the climb to Možjanca and its 10.2% average gradient, introducing a significant climbing component in just 22 kilometers.

Among the Elite, women will start at 14:30, and men will close the entire European Championship starting at 16:15 on Wednesday, October 7.

Before that, on Tuesday, the Junior and Elite mixed relays will take place over 44.3 kilometers and 733 meters of elevation, another sign that this European Championship in Slovenia will be far from offering simple routes even when the road races are over.